The Gambit
by shr00ms
Summary: Vengeance or justice? after the Joker tortures and kills Jason inside of a warehouse, Bruce is finally forced to confront his twisted sense of morality [note: this is my take on Frank Miller's version of Batman. Readers' discretion is advised: strong language, sexual content, abuse, stereotypes, sexism and LOTS OF VIOLENCE]
1. Basis (Intro Part 1)

_This is my take on Frank Miller's Batman universe, which takes place in 1976 if the continuity is to be believed, and since I have terrible firearms knowledge, I'll just refer to the most common WW2 weapons just so they fit into the time period_

All I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn't go by when I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others, and then...end him

No! God almighty, no... what am I thinking? it'd be too damned easy! just one life for the price of millions, though it might not mean saving everybody, it's still better than saving nobody... but if I do that, if I allow myself to go down that place…I'll never come back

To kill the Joker would mean disregarding that promise I made to my parents all those years ago in this exact same room and dishonouring their memory. But what good is the memory of my parents when it comes at the cost of justice?

If I kill him, I would be no better than Harvey, Scarecrow or Cobblepot, if I don't, I would be no better than Ra's, Bane or Freeze: no more than a man fighting for himself, and no less than a monster contributing to the problem instead of solving it

Do I really want to do this? do I want to divide the League over my actions? do I want vengeance or justice? either option would involve me breaking a handful of laws anyway...who am I kidding? since when did the law ever work? why else would Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison, two of the most esteemed institutions for the criminally insane, look like cheap motels?

What was the point of my training if all I'm going to do is let criminals sneak past my grasp just to continue their shenanigans late at night? I don't do this kind of stupid shit for the attention, and above all else: I don't do this because I enjoy it, I'm 45! I can't persist with this kind of shit for the rest of my life

Besides, in order to really make Gotham a better place, there needs to be investments and sacrifice, it's time to fulfill the latter

He dies tonight, for Jason, for Barbara, and for the thousands he killed in cold blood


	2. Basis (Intro Part 2)

**(*BANG*)**

Loud and clumsy, just like its creators, all the words you need to describe the Kar98k. If only Deadshot didn't ironically die in Vietnam, I could've hired him to finish off that sadistic lunatic instead. No...Jason would've wanted me to do it, the kid was always different from the rest anyways, he was brave and decisive, as though he was the one fighting a war

I don't know what pisses me off more, the fact that the kid was tortured and blown to shit, or my incompetence as a guardian and father figure which made him go after his long lost mother

That remorseless bastard even had the audacity to broadcast Jason's torture on radio and television, he even had a phone poll to determine Jason's fate as well

The idea of innocent civilians and lowly thugs alike dialing in to cast their vote over the life of an adolescent is equally as disturbing as it is disappointing, these are the sort of people who would elect a delusional celebrity in charge of the White House for the fun of it

Why should I even bother protecting those who simply want to destroy one another? the government have an alien from outer space who can stop runaway locomotives using his bare hands without breaking a sweat, and I'm just a son of a man who successfully manipulated the economy during the Great Depression for his own benefit

For 10 long years, I've neglected my dreams and happiness just to help our incompetent government resolve criminal issues which they should be fixing instead of me, and I don't see why I should be spending the next 10 years of my life doing so anyways

Gotham doesn't need a Batman, this meaningless crusade ends now


End file.
